Cerysmatic.Factory

Manchester North of England 2017

2017-06-02T08:31:00.000+01:00

James and The Railway Children featured on the original LP and cassette version back in 1988. Now, in 2017, Cherry Red Records and the Manchester District Music Archive promise us a souped-up 6-disc 17-year set with a veritable feast of Factory and Factoryesque material including 52nd Street, A Certain Ratio, The Adventure Babies, Albertos Y Lost Trios Paranoias, Biting Tongues, Crispy Ambulance, The Distractions, Durutti Column, Electronic, Frank Sidebottom, Happy Mondays, James, Jazz Defektors, Jilted John, John Cooper Clarke, Joy Division, Life, Ludus, Manicured Noise, Marcel King, Miaow, New Order, Northside, The Nosebleeds, Quando Quango, The Railway Children, Revenge, Section 25, Slaughter & The Dogs, Stockholm Monsters, Swamp Children, The Tiller Boys, The Weeds, X-O-Dus and Yargo.

The box set is expected later this year. The impressive tracklisting is still in the process of being confirmed but for more info check out the Facebook page.

Of Factory New York Michael Shamberg

2014-03-13T17:39:00.000+00:00

Factory Benelux and New Order present Of Factory New York, a unique benefit album released to assist Michael Shamberg, who ran the NYC office of Factory Records during the celebrated label's Eighties heyday.

Available on CD and double gatefold vinyl formats, Of Factory New York gathers a selection of classic tracks by artists associated with OFNY including the John Robie remix of Yashar by Cabaret Voltaire, Do the Du by A Certain Ratio, Cool As Ice by 52nd Street, Love Tempo by Quando Quango, the Megamix version of Looking From A Hilltop by Section 25 and an exclusive version of Your Silent Face by New Order, recorded live on tour in America in June 1989.

Homegrown American talent featured on the album includes Ike Yard, Thick Pigeon, Konk, Anna Domino and deejay/producer Arthur Baker. The cover art is based on an original 1983 design by Lawrence Weiner, the conceptual artist closely associated with Shamberg and Factory's Big Apple operation.

Unfortunately in 2006 Michael was struck down with highly debilitating mitochondrial disease. All artists featured on Of Factory New York have donated their work free of charge, Factory Benelux will take no profit, and 100% of net revenues will be paid over to the medical trust which takes care of Michael.

"Michael has been with us from the very start," explain New Order. "Initially he was in charge of Factory New York, then became creative producer for all our early videos. He brought our attention to the early works of directors such as Kathryn Bigelow, Gina Birch, Robert Breer, Peter Care, Phillipe Decouffle, Jonathan Demme, Robert Frank, Paula Greiff, Robert Longo, Bailie Walsh and William Wegman. Michael is very ill and needs constant medical attention. We want to help him, and played two fundraising shows in 2011. This new Factory New York compilation album will contribute further financial support towards Michael’s ongoing care."

More info via factorybenelux.com.

Vinyl tracklist

A1. A Certain Ratio - Do the Du
A2. Quando Quango - Love Tempo
A3. 52nd Street - Cool As Ice

B1. Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar (John Robie Remix)
B2. New Order - Your Silent Face (live 1989)
B3. Konk - Baby Dee

C1. Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix)
C2. Streetlife - Act On Instinct
C3. Marcel King - Reach For Love (New York Remix)

D1. Thick Pigeon - Subway
D2. Ike Yard - Kino
D3. Arthur Baker - Come On
D4. Anna Domino - Summer (Arthur Baker Remix)

CD tracklisting

1. A Certain Ratio - Do the Du
2. Quando Quango - Love Tempo
3. Konk - Baby Dee
4. 52nd Street - Cool As Ice
5. Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar (John Robie Remix)
6. New Order - Your Silent Face (live 1989)
7. Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix)
8. Streetlife - Act On Instinct
9. Marcel King - Reach For Love (New York Remix)
10. Thick Pigeon - Subway
11. Ike Yard - Kino
12. Arthur Baker - Come On
13. Anna Domino - Summer (Arthur Baker Remix)

Facs In The Attic Part 2

2013-09-26T21:56:00.000+01:00

And so we continue with our trawl through the Factory rarities in order to dig out some valuables, some to be found in the unlikeliest of places. All prices are extracted from the 2014 Record Collector Guide, some eager Discogs listings and my own experiences.

Wim Mertens

Take one Belgian neo-classical composer and two simultaneously issued albums (on Les Disques Du Crepuscule), switch the logos and alter the labels and what happens? Er, very little. By the time Factory got its act together and added them to its catalogue, both Educes Me (FACT 190) and the soundtrack to the heavy Peter Greenaway art-house film Belly Of An Architect (FACT 195) had already sold as many copies as they could muster a few months earlier. To be fair, Belly did fairly well and shifted a few units off the back of the film's VHS release (on Palace, sigh) and via continued interest in Greenaway's work. Educes Me, on the other hand, didn't exactly benefit from being on Factory but it did get a curious re-release as a boxed-cassette. If you happen to have such an item - smartly packaged in a bright yellow hue with a colourful inlay booklet - then have a seat. Record Collector valuations clock in at an eye-watering £200. For a tape. No, really. Check out our Wim Mertens discography to feast your eyes on his other work (much of which fetches serious money - see Part 3 of our Facs In The Attic series).

Various Artists

Inevitably, that most frequent purveyor of releases comes up trumps when it comes to Factory valuables. Various Artists releases include the A Factory Quartet double-album (FACT 24 - £20), the Palatine box-set (FACT 400 - £40 to £100), particularly the vinyl and CD sets and two curios that don't feature in the RC book of dreams. The first is the 4 x 12" promo pack which has no number but comes loosely-housed in a PVC sleeve with each track's BPMs helpfully printed on it, plus four white-label copies of Pleasure Crew's I Could Be So Good For You (FAC 169), Fadela's N'Sel Fik (FAC 197 - worth a tenner on its own), The Hood's Salvation (FAC 182) and Meatmouth's Meatmouth Is Murder (FAC 196). I'd estimate a £15 price-tag, partly for at least two of the enclosed records but also for the attractive Johnson Panas sleeve. The second is Martin (FACD 325), a collection of Hannett's finest production work including Joy Division, U2 and A Certain Ratio etc.. I'd pitch this at £15 to £20 all day long for the CD and vinyl.

All of which is peanuts when compared to A Factory Sample. FAC 2 was the first release on the label, came packaged in expensive polythene outers, bolstered by some natty stickers and four sides of music. No wonder it's valued from around the £200 mark. Without the stickers, it's probably worth £100 - £125 and with a scruffy sleeve minus the polythene, around half that again.

The Wake

Before jumping the sinking Factory ferry and high-tailing it to the Sarah label, Glasgow's The Wake released some of the most beautiful songs to ever grace the label. Vinyl copies of debut-album Harmony (FACT 60) and gorgeous (and delayed) follow-up Here Comes Everybody (FACT 130) command around £20 - £25 each, although the former has just been exquisitely reissued as a double-vinyl version on Factory Benelux which may or may not have an effect on prices. The band's singles aren't too hard to come by although the 7" of Talk About The Past (FAC 88) is trickier to track down (£8).

Stockholm Monsters

This under-rated outfit feature in this article due to their two earlier singles, Fairy Tales (FAC 41) and Happy Ever After (FAC 58), both capable of reaching £15 in top condition. There are two different-coloured sleeves for Fairy Tales, a burgundy and a green one, both as easy (or as hard) to find as each other. The band's only album, Alma Mater (FACT 80) is worth £10 of anyone's money, while their superb Partyline 12" (FAC 146) might scrape a few quid less (a travesty) with 7" test pressings doubling the price.

The best of the rest

In no particular order are just some of the other least likely (and most probable) rarities worth seeking out.
The braille sleeved Electricity (FAC 6) by OMD - £60
The only Distractions single on Factory (FAC 12) - £15
The first (and only) reggae 12" by X-O-Dus (FAC 11) - £15
That infamous Sex Pistols cassette (with gold tape, pouch and card) (FACT 30) - £20 - £50
The one and only ESG 7" (FAC 34) - £30
The majestic Nightshift by The Names (FAC 29) - £15
The white vinyl John Dowie 7" with feather (!) (FAC 19) - £15
The two Dutch masters by Minnypops, Secret Story (FAC 57) and Dolphin's Spurt (FAC 31) - £12
The cassette version of Pigs and Battleships by Quando Quango (FAC 110c) - £18
The rare as hen's teeth CD promo and invite of The Other Two's Loved It (FACD 251) - £25 to £40
The first James single Jimone (FAC 78) - £12
The stand-alone Thick Pigeon album (FACT 85) - £40
The sleazy Crawling Chaos 7" Sex Machine (FAC 17) - £20
and the under-rated Chicken Rhythms by Northside on vinyl (FACT 310) - £12

Thanks to Record Collector and Discogs for prices.

Part 3 will feature rarities recorded by Factory artists and issued on Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crepuscule.

T-Coy - Carino + Singles [LTMCD 2576]

2012-09-02T13:52:00.000+01:00

LTM releases the debut compilation of early Deconstruction label House singles and Hacienda classics by underground dance act T-Coy (which stood for 'Take care of yourself') which was formed by Simon Topping (ex-A Certain Ratio) and Mike Pickering (Hacienda DJ, ex-Quando Quango, M People).

The album includes Carino (original 12" plus new remixes by Motor City Drum Ensemble and Steve Mac), 'I Like To Listen' and 'Night Train', along with 'Dream 17', a collaboration with A Guy Called Gerald originally released as Annette on the North: Sound of the Dance Underground album.

Tracklisting

1. Carino
2. Regret
3. I Like To Listen
4. Da Me Mas
5. Catalonia
6. Night Train
7. Keep On Drivin'
8. I Ain't Nightclubbing
9. Dream Slumber
10. Carino (Steve Mac's Old Skool Big Room)
11. Carino (Motor City Drum Ensemble)

--

Artist: T-Coy
Title: Carino + Singles
Label: LTM [->]
Format: CD, digital download
Catalogue number: LTMCD 2576
Release date: Out now

Those Beaux Labels FAC tracks in full

2011-04-26T21:29:00.000+01:00

The tracklisting for the previously-announced Les Inrockutiples / Fnac Beaux Labels Volume 1 compilation 5CD box set featuring Factory Records (and Warp, Domino, Bella Union and Sub Pop) is now confirmed as follows:

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix)
Stockholm Monsters - Happy Ever After
The Durutti Column - All That Love And Maths Can Do
The Wake - Talk About The Past
Crispy Ambulance - Deaf
The Names - Calcutta
New Order - Blue Monday
Quando Quango - Love Tempo (Remix)
Happy Mondays - Hallelujah

Full detailed tracklisting including credits and timings at Discogs.com.

Les Beaux Labels Vol 1 feat Factory Records

2011-04-20T10:03:00.000+01:00

French magazine Les inRocKuptibles and retailer Fnac have teamed up to produce a 50-track 5-CD box set celebrating five great independent record labels including Factory Records.

The featured Factory artists are Joy Division, Section 25, The Stockholm Monsters, The Durutti Column, The Wake, Crispy Ambulance, The Names, New Order, Quando Quango and Happy Mondays.

The other four labels in the collection (and selected highlights) are Sub Pop (Nirvana, Mudhoney), Warp (Aphex Twin, LFO, Autechre, Brian Eno), Domino (Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, The Kills) and Bella Union (Midlake, Fleet Foxes).

Cheers to Metzgi for spotting.

Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987

2010-05-07T13:13:00.000+01:00

News just in from LTM of a new instalment in the Auteur Labels series and the second in the Factory Records year. Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987 includes choice cuts from New Order, ACR, Happy Mondays, The Durutti Column, The Wake, Section 25 and many more. It is released on 12 July 2010 via LTM.

Tracklisting

New Order - True Faith
A Certain Ratio – Bootsy (Racic Remix)
Happy Mondays – 24 Hour Party People
Quando Quango – Bad Blood
Biting Tongues – Compressor
The Durutti Column – Catos Con Guantes
Fadela – N'Sel Fik
Arthur Baker – Come On
The Hood – Salvation! (Nitro Dub)
Pleasure Crew – So Good
Meat Mouth – Meat Mouth Is Murder
Miaow – When It All Comes Down
The Wake – Furious Sea
Section 25 – Bad News Week (The Cough Mix)

--

Title: Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987
Label: LTM
Catalogue number: LTMCD 2555
Format: CD
Release date: 12 July 2010

Also available: Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1984.

Available from LTM Mail Order.

Auteur Labels - Robs Records [LTMCD 2542]

2010-02-10T22:37:00.000+00:00

If Factory Records had been more serious about dance music (and had lasted a bit longer), perhaps Robs Records would never have existed. By the beginning of the Nineties, Rob Gretton, the manager of Joy Division / New Order, was becoming increasingly frustrated and so decided to take matters into his own hands. Perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back was the cancellation of a 1990 Factory project (FAC 270 Our Dance Days) by Mike Pickering to release a House remixes compilation featuring Marcel King, 52nd Street, Section 25, and Quando Quango.

Robs Records released a diverse selection of underground dance music, much of it from Manchester-based artists like Sub Sub, Mr Scruff, Digital Justice and Strangebrew, plus new music from A Certain Ratio following their A&M stint and the occasional licensed overseas track, most notably the excellent Security by Beat Club.

Auteur Labels: Robs Records [LTMCD 2542] features the No. 3 hit single Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) by Sub Sub and the Bernard Sumner remix of Beat Club's Security plus 11 other cuts.

The album is out on LTM on 26 April 2010.

Tracklisting

1. Sub Sub - Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) [2.47]
2. Beat Club - Security (Sumner Remix) [5.54]
3. A Certain Ratio - 27 Forever (Jon Dasilva Fix Mix) [5.57]
4. Spacer IV - Sirocco [7.35]
5. Strangebrew - Sky Life [7.01]
6. Roy Davis Jnr & Jay Juniel - Egyptian Jazz [4.08]
7. J-Walk - Buggin' Becky (Balihu Remix) [5.50]
8. Mr Scruff - Chicken in a Box [8.25]
9. Anambi - Our Love Climbs Higher (Extended Mix) [6.50]
10. Rack-It! - Tarantella Ritual [5.47]
11. Digital Justice - Theme From It's All Gone Pear Shaped [7.01]
12. A Certain Ratio - Listen to the Sound [4.59]
13. Sub Sub - Inside of This [4.58]

The 77 minute remastered CD covers the years 1990-1999 and features a detailed label history and archive images.

Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984

2009-05-06T13:26:00.000+01:00

On 1 June, LTM releases a new volume in the ongoing compilation series Auteur Labels, featuring releases on Factory Records in 1984.

"Founded in late 1978, early Factory releases were guided by the five original directors: Tony Wilson, Alan Erasmus, Peter Saville, Martin Hannett and Rob Gretton. By 1984 Hannett had departed, and many Factory singles were produced by all four members of New Order under the generic name Be Music. These reflected the influence of New York dance and electro music, though the label's Haçienda nightclub was not yet a conspicuous success. Meanwhile the artier side of Factory remained evident in records by The Durutti Column and Kalima, and pop/rock in The Wake, Stockholm Monsters - and New Order themselves."

The 77 minute remastered CD features several rare edits and tracks, detailed liner notes by James Nice, and archive images.

Tracklisting

1. New Order Lonesome Tonight (7" Edit)
2. Stockholm Monsters Terror
3. The Wake Talk About The Past (7" Edit)
4. Section 25 Reflection
5. Marcel King Reach For Love (New York Remix)
6. 52nd Street Can't Afford (Unorganised Mix)
7. Quando Quango Atom Rock
8. Shark Vegas Pretenders Of Love
9. Abecedarians Smiling Monarchs
10. Red Turns To Deep Sleep
11. The Durutti Column Duet (Without Mercy)
12. Kalima The Smiling Hour
13. Simon Topping Chicas Del Mundo
14. Streetlife On Instinct
15. Lavolta Lakota Prayer

--

Title: Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984
Label: LTM
Cat No: LTMCD 2534
Released: 1 June 2009

Box Set Go-Going

2008-11-10T21:33:00.000+00:00

Latest news (from Amazon UK and Tower JP) sees the new 4-disc Rhino 'The Factory Box Set' released on 8 December. As noted before, it is compiled by Jon Savage, includes an essay by Paul Morley, and the artwork is by Peter Saville.

Tracklist is as follows:

DISC 1
1. Joy Division: Digital
2. A Certain Ratio: All Night Party
3. OMD: Electricity (Original version)
4. Joy Division: She's Lost Control
5. The Distractions: Time Goes By So Slow
6. Joy Division: Transmission
7. The Durutti Column: Sketch For Summer
8. X-O-Dus: English Black Boys
9. Joy Division: Love Will Tear Us Apart
10. A Certain Ratio: Shack Up
11. Section 25: Girls Don't Count
12. Crawling Chaos: Sex Machine
13. A Certain Ratio: Flight
14. The Names: Night Shift
15. New Order: Ceremony (Original 7" version)
16. Minny Pops: Dolphin's Spurt
17. John Dowie: It's Hard To Be An Egg
18. Crispy Ambulance: Deaf
19. Section 25: Dirty Disco

DISC 2
1. New Order: Everything's Gone Green
2. ESG: Moody
3. Tunnelvision: Watching the Hydroplanes
4. The Durutti Column: Messidor
5. A Certain Ratio: Knife Slits Water (LP version)
6. Royal Family and the Poor: Art on 45
7. Swamp Children: Taste What's Rhythm
8. New Order: Temptation
9. 52nd Street: Cool As Ice
10. New Order: Blue Monday
11. Cabaret Voltaire: Yashar (John Robie Remix)
12. Quando Quango: Love Tempo
13. The Wake: Talk About The Past

DISC 3
1. New Order: Confusion
2. Marcel King: Reach For Love
3. Section 25: Looking from A Hilltop (12" Restructure)
4. Stockholm Monsters: All At Once
5. Life: Tell Me
6. The Durutti Column: A Little Mercy (Duet)
7. James: Hymn From A Village
8. Kalima: Trickery
9. A Certain Ratio: Sounds Like Something Dirty
10. Quando Quango: Genius
11. Happy Mondays: Freaky Dancin'
12. Miaow: When It All Comes Down
13. The Railway Children: Brighter
14. Biting Tongues: Compressor
15. New Order: True Faith
16. Happy Mondays: 24 Hour Party People

DISC 4
1. New Order: Fine Time
2. Happy Mondays: WFL (Think About the Future)
3. Revenge: Seven Reasons
4. Happy Mondays: Hallelujah (Club Mix)
5. Electronic: Getting Away With It
6. Happy Mondays: Step On
7. Northside: Shall We Take A Trip
8. England New Order: World In Motion
9. Happy Mondays: Kinky Afro
10. The Durutti Column: Home
11. Electronic: Get The Message (DNA remix)
12. Northside: Take 5
13. Cath Carroll: Moves Like You (Remix)
14. The Other Two: Tasty Fish (12" mix)
15. Happy Mondays: Sunshine and Love (Lionrock Remix)

Constructing Manchester in Song

2007-03-07T08:38:00.000+00:00

Stylus Magazine gives us their 20-song guide to Manchester including tracks from Joy Division, Happy Mondays, New Order, Quando Quango and more.

Thanks to Mike for spotting.

Electrospective - Greg Wilson

2005-10-10T05:47:00.000+01:00

Greg Wilson was the first DJ to host a specialist dance night at Fac 51 The Hacienda, in late 1983. He also later played at Legend, to a mainly black audience. He also nearly made it onto the Factory catalogue at FAC 95 with a dance 12" single but this never happened. In a slight change of direction, the number FACT 95 is allocated to an album by The Royal Family and the Poor.

Greg takes up the story: "I only realised I'd actually been given a Factory catalogue number, when somebody mentioned it to me last year - I think they'd come across it as a Factory trivia question. It was for a mix that I was going to do of stuff that had come out on the label. For one reason or another it never happened - most of the stuff I'd been given to work from was definitely not suitable for the type of mixes I was doing (I was a black music specialist), so, from my perspective it would have been trying to fit square pegs into round holes (only New Order, Quando Quango and 52nd Street had released dance singles on the label). Nowadays, with the assistance of computer programs, I'd have taken a completely different approach and could have put together something pretty interesting, but back then it was to have been a more straightforward one track into the next type mix."

Greg stopped DJing in 1984 but recently has been back on the decks, most notably when he supported A Certain Ratio at their Cargo gig back in August. Also, check out the new album 'No Sell Out', a Legend / Wigan Pier Electro Retrospective (May '82 - Dec '83) mixed by Greg Wilson for A Guy Called Gerald / Samurai FM. An mp3 is now available to download: www.samurai.fm/electrofunkroots

More info at: electrofunkroots.co.uk. Many thanks to Greg.

--

It's good to be back.

LTM's Factory back catalogue on iTunes

2005-06-11T22:30:00.000+01:00

This isn't new news but following on from the post about Quando Quango downloads, not only is the entire Quando Quango LTM back catalogue available in the iTunes Store (at least in the US) but also a wide range of (ex-) Fac artists can be found there too including The Wake, The Names, Thick Pigeon, Section 25, Stockholm Monsters, Revenge, Anna Domino, Kalima and Crispy Ambulance. Still waiting on Cath Carroll and recent catalogue additions A Certain Ratio.

LTM Publishing

Thanks to Mike.

Quando Quango downloads now available

2005-06-10T08:09:00.000+01:00

It is now possible to buy Quando Quango tracks directly as downloads. For starters there's LTMCD 2360 'Pigs and Battleships', the original Factory album plus extra tracks issued by LTM in 2003. The classic 1985 single 'Genius' (Fac 137), produced by Mark Kamins, is also available. Both are available from Artistdirect. Alternatively you might like to search on MSN Music which also offers the two Quando tracks from LTMCD 2377 'Cool As Ice: The BE Music Productions' (Atom Rock and Love Tempo).

That Swing Out Sister line-up in full

2005-04-11T09:07:00.000+01:00

The current Swing Out Sister UK tour, which has included 3 nights at the Jazz Cafe in London and one at the Life Cafe in Manchester, features a kind of Factory All-Stars band: Corinne Drewery (one-time ACR guest singer, vocals), Andy Connell (ex-ACR, keyboards / programming), Derek Johnson (ex-52nd Street & Quando Quango, bass), Chris Manas (ex-Jazz Defektors & Kalima, percussion), Mikey Wilson (ex-Jazz Defektors & Texas, drums).

Crossfade: The Big Chill Anthology

2004-10-13T13:59:00.000+01:00

The Big Chill's promotion for the book Crossfade: the Big Chill Anthology continues tonight at the Big Chill Bar where Gonnie Rietveld (ex-Quando Quango and one of the authors of the book) will play some house records (classic old stuff mentioned in the book and lazy jazzy deep house) from 9-12pm. Also, from 6pm, Ally Fogg (aka DJ Enchanted Gordon) will be selecting from his collection of chilled out tunes, in relation to his essay contribution to Crossfade.

Time: Wednesday 13 October, till 12 Midnight
Venue: The Big Chill Bar
Address: Dray Walk off Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
Tel: 020 7392 9180
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street

Read Gonnie's draft of House Music: The Haçienda Must Be Built

Undone

2004-10-11T23:59:00.000+01:00

Many Factory projects were unfinished or unreleased (more on those to come) but some simply never got off the ground:

Fac 20 A Certain Ratio Too Young to Know, Too Wild to Care: A film, never made, which was to feature most of the Factory roster, but mainly A Certain Ratio and The Distractions attempting various forms of terrorism around Manchester, kidnapping Ian Curtis and blowing up Joy Division. (Soundtrack was to be by The Durutti Column). Shareholder's statement: "The film has become a video...has become a series of surrealistic sketches. Will change again. No date No time."

Fac 27 Sex Machine Alternative Sleeve: An alternative sleeve for Fac 17, but never issued/completed. This was an abandoned project for an alternative sleeve for Fac 17, but it was never printed. Fac 159 (Tim Difford's Fac Facts Booklet) states 'Cancelled Saville/Gretton revenge programme project for alternative FAC 17 sleeve. £200.00'. The Factory Shareholder's statement says: "£500.00. Rob's got it. Cancelled Saville revenge project for alternate Fac 17 sleeve."

Fac 101 (Tony Wilson's) Lofts: the visionary developer AHW's aborted plan to convert disused warehouses into loft apartments.

Fac 109 Caroline Lavelle Untitled: an unreleased 12" single. Caroline says: "I remember doing the Durutti Column and another few things for Factory and although I did undertake to do some recording under my own name I don't think anything came of it."

Fact 181 Bailey Brothers Mad Fuckers!: possibly the greatest unrealised project rumbled on from 1987 to 1992 and would have been a "youth exploitation" movie. Tony Wilson went to Hollywood to try to raise money for its projected £2.5m budget, an event which itself was Fac 221.

Fac 211 'Book of Ideas': mentioned in the Fact 400 Palatine booklet but never realised. Number also allocated to the Wired Joy Division documentary film.

Fac 237 New Order Here Are the Old Men: unreleased video concept whose proposed title plays on the title of the Fact 37 video by Joy Division.

Fact 254 Durutti Column Guitar One - House and Fact 264 Durutti Column Guitar Two - Acoustic: unreleased Durutti Column projects, presumably in the styles hinted at in the titles.

Fac 270 Various Artists Our Dance Days: a planned 1990 release to consist of Marcel King, 52nd Street, Section 25, and Quando Quango "House remixes" organised by Mike Pickering. The long lost never realised Factory Dance project in essence.

Fac 301 'First 50': a book to have been written by Ikon's Tim Chambers about the first 50 Fac numbers. Number also allocated to the Factory International Congress held at Mottram Hall, Cheshire.

Fac 342 Happy Mondays Charter Clinic

Fac 396 Two Guitarists Still Life: Unrealised Factory Classical project. The only missing piece from 226 to 406.

Single-minded electronic disco energy

2004-08-10T16:28:00.000+01:00

The DJ Magazine website has a piece on the Hacienda by Hillegonda C. "Gonnie" Rietveld (ex-Quando Quango). It is an extract from the forthcoming book 'Crossfade: A Big Chill Anthology' which is available to pre-order in advance of the official publication date. The book "chronicles from a fan's point of view the recent developments in electronic and ambient music and outstanding success of groups like Zero 7, Lemon Jelly, Royksopp, Bent and Talvin Singh."

Details

Crossfade: A Big Chill Anthology
Edited by Pete Lawrence and Vicki Howard
Published 22 September 2004
ISBN: 1 85242 875 9
List Price: £12.00
Category: Culture & Music
Paperback 224pp

Very Eighties ...

2004-08-02T09:06:00.000+01:00

Those Cerysmatic Factory Video Vote results in full:

1. 'True Faith' by New Order - dir. Phillippe Découfflé (Loads of people in funny costumes dance and bounce around to the music interspersed with the band performing. Won the BPI Award for Best Video in 1987. New Order still performed it live on Top of the Pops.)

2. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division (One Door Closes.....)

3. 'The Perfect Kiss' by New Order - dir. Jonathan Demme. This was shot in New Order's rehearsal room in Cheetham Hill. They got a 24 track mobile studio in to record the music - it was played live. The two blokes that appear unannounced are Andy Robinson, now part-manager of New Order with Rebecca, and Slim, now 'Door Manager' at the Manchester University Student Union. For some reason everyone thinks the appearance of Slim in the video is, in fact, Arthur Baker. It isn't. The Perfect Kiss went on general release in the cinema as a support picture to Stop Making Sense, Jonathan Demme's seminal concert film of Talking Heads.

4. 'WFL' by Happy Mondays dir. The Bailey Brothers

5. 'Step On' by Happy Mondays (The 24 Hour Party People website article on The Bailey Brothers tells the story: For the shoot of the 'Step On' video, the crew shipped out to Barcelona. Locations were set for the five day shoot. Everyone was ready, but the band wasn't there. "We were waiting in Barcelona for the best part of four days, without having heard anything from anybody in terms of when they were going to turn up." recalls Keith. "They turned up to do the video at 3 o clock on the last day we were in Barcelona. We had something completely different planned, obviously, and we had locations that we were going to go to and we had this whole video planned out. With a day to go we were accepting that we were going to have to change that quite radically, and with three hours to go, we were literally thinking on our feet 'what's the only plausible thing we can do in the three hours?'" The promo was shot in and around the hotel they were staying at, with Shaun sitting on top of a huge neon E sign. The Director of Photography frantically tried to grab as much footage as possible as the sun set, but left feeling they didn't have enough footage. "We showed him the finished video and he loved it. We did tend to shoot lots of super 8, there was lots of other stuff around, not just the Super 16 camera going - so he was quite surprised that there was some other stuff dropped in.")

6. 'Confusion' by New Order (Ignore the crap subplot about the girls going to the disco. This basically shows you the early New Order mid dance-epihany in NYC and captures a pivotal moment, in a shoddy and amateurish way - so very Factory!)

7. 'Wrote For Luck' by Happy Mondays dir. The Bailey Brothers.

8. 'Shack Up' by A Certain Ratio (original Factory video for Palatine)

9. 'Bizarre Love Triangle' by New Order - dir. Robert Longo ("I don't believe in reincarnation because I refuse to come back as a bug or a rabbit!")

10. 'Run' by New Order - dir. Robert Frank, produced by Michael Shamberg

Honourable mentions to ... 'Nightshift' by The Names, 'Genius' by Quando Quango, 'New Horizon' by Section 25, 'The Smiling Hour' (Ann Quigley leaves work in Sunley Tower, Manchester and goes out for a drink at Corbieres) by Kalima, 'Sounds Like Something Dirty (Live on The Tube)', 'Back To The Start', 'Knife Slits Water' by A Certain Ratio, 'Lazyitis' (in prison where they belong playing footie in the pissing rain, Karl Denver catching pneumonia) by Happy Mondays, 'Here To Stay', 'Round & round', 'Shellshock', 'Fine Time', 'Blue Monday', 'Ceremony' by New Order, 'Laid' by James (strictly ex-Fac), 'My Rising Star' by Northside, 'The Missing Boy' and 'Domo Arigato' by The Durutti Column (the second one a long-form entry that sneaked in), 'Eat Y'Self Fitter' by The Fall (on an IKON video release), 'Get The Message' by Electronic, 'Talk About The Past' by The Wake.

Thanks to everyone who voted and also those who provided annotations. You know who you are.

Double good

2004-07-15T14:17:00.000+01:00

There is a long and fine history of Factory allocating the same catalogue number to different projects, intentionally or otherwise. Unrealised concepts abound in the Factory canon and sometimes the unused number was freed up for use on something else. Sometimes though a simple cock-up occurred and Factory forgot a number had already been used.

Fact 95 - The first instance of number duplication occurred when the Royal Family and The Poor's album 'The Project - Phase 1 (The Temple of the 13th Tribe' was given the number originally reserved for a 12” single by (Haçienda DJ) Greg Wilson. The single never appeared so the number was recycled.

Fac 137 - Fact 137 was the Shorts compilation video but was also allocated to the 12" single 'Genius' by Quando Quango.

Fact 150 - A strange one here because whilst Fact 150 was the New Order album 'Brotherhood', Fac 150 was assigned to the Japanese version of the PFD video (which has the regular Factory catalogue number Fac 177).

Facd 207 - Rob Gray's Little Big Band mini lp was assigned the number Facd 207 but 207 was at one time going to be his 'Digital Buskingomo' video. Sadly the video never materialised.

Fact 210 - By the time Fact 210 'England Made Me' by Cath Carroll was released, Cath's band Miaow were a distant memory but originally this number was reserved for their unreleased album 'Priceless Innuendos'.

Fac 211 - The excellent Joy Division documentary aired on Channel 4's Wired programme (of which officially packaged and numbered tapes exist) about Joy Division (and specifically the release of Fac 213 Atmosphere and Fact 250 Substance had this number but it was also attached to the 'Book of Ideas' concept detailed in the Fact 400 Palatine booklet.

Fac 221 - Tony Wilson's trip to Hollywood to raise interest in and money for the Mad Fuckers film (Fac 181) resulted in the allocation of the 221 number and badges bearing it but in a classic piece of number duplication it reappeared as the number for the 8vo Factory Contract. These contract binders date from mid-1990 starting with Cath Carroll (who allegedly signed an 8-LP deal). Two 12" x 12" clear perspex plates with screenprinted signal green, silver and signal orange design, hold with 4 metal bolts. The bolts are positioned so as to hold A4 sheets in place and to allow the number of pages to vary from contract to contract.

Fac 289 - Factory produced special notepaper to promote the release of Fact 275 'Technique' by New Order. It was given the number 289 because the campaign was launched in February 1989. Later on, Factory forgot about this and reallocated the number to The Wendys' single 'The Sun's Going To Shine For Me Soon'.

Fac 301 - This was a Factory conference held at Mottram Hall, Cheshire, 5 July 1990 for which special white notepads, flyers and white serviettes / napkins were made. The number was also allocated to a book to be written by Tim Chambers (who worked for Ikon) about the first 50 numbers in the Factory catalogue.

Fac 451 - Jane Stanton's loving documentary about Fac 51 The Haçienda which aired on Granada Television entitled 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' was given this number (currently the second highest number issued) was the same as the number given to the 'rebuilding' of the Haçienda for the movie 24 Hour Party People, itself the recipient of Fac 401.

Many thanks to OMNY.